Face-mask.



M. LA ROCHE.

FACE MASK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.27. I917.

Patented Sept. 24, 1918,

INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MONTGOMERY LA ROCHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FACE-MASK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed December 27, 1917. Serial No. 209,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MONTGOMERY LA ROCHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Face-Masks, of which the following is a full,

v clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to face masks and breath shields. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a comfortably-fitting mask which will protect the face of the wearer from fiy ing particles of foreign matter and yet not obstruct the vision or hinder free breathing. A further object of the invention is to provide a face mask which may be put on and taken off with the utmost ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a face mask which will tend to deflect the breath of the wearer and prevent annoyance to a person in close proximity.

Further objects of the invention include the providing of a combination face mask and breath shield adapted to be readily and easily kept in sterilized and sanitary condition, and one which is extremely simple and 1i ht in construction and economical to manu acture.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

he invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,-

The figure shows the device, in perspective, on a wearer.

While this mask may be worn for various purposes, it is particularly designed for use by dentists when working upon a patient to protect the face ofthe dentist from any flying particles which might be thrown or splashed about, and at the same time to prevent the dentists breath from annoying the patient.

The device consists of a pair of spectacles, indicated by. the numeral -1, having sufficiently large sized glass portions to render adequate protection to thee e. The glass portions may, of course, be p ain or suitable enses. The ends of a curved wire 4 are fastened in spaced relation to the frame of the spectacles, as at 2 and 3, in any suitable manner, as by soldering. The body of wire 4 is fashioned to encircle the nose and mouth and to comfortably fit the control of the face along a line extending from a point on one cheek somewhat below point 2 on the spectacles, down the cheek, curving across the chin below the mouth, and extendin up the other cheek to a point on that c eek somewhat below point 3. Wire 5, arched sufficiently to avoid contact with the nose, horizontally bridges the loop formed by wire 4 a short distance below the spectacles, and is firmly fastened in position thereon by means of solder or otherwise. The ends of another wire 6 are respectively attached to wire 4 at a point adjacent the chin below the nose and mouth and 'to wire 5 at about its middle point, This wire is bowed outwardly in the form of a distorted arc to vertically bridge the mouth and nose without contacting with either. Any convenient method of attaching the ends of wire 6 to wires 4 or 5 may be employed, as for instance by soldering or by twisting wire 6 about wire 4 or 5, or by forming the end of wire 6 into a hook adapted to be held in operative connection with the adjacent wire by the inherent spring qualities of a distorted wire, as shown at 7.

These wires 4, 5 and 6, shaped and joined together as indicated, form a frame or support for material forming a protective mask or shield and cooperate to hold such mask or shield in position before the face. The pro tective and shielding material may consist of any one of a number of different materials or combinations of materials, amon them sterile gauze, which has been foun to be very satisfactory and serviceable on account of its lightness and Sheerness, yet having sufficient body to supply adequate protection to the face and to adequately arrest the breath of the wearer without hindering the freedom of breathing, in addition to which qualities it is easily susceptible of bein cleaned or sterilized and usually has an appearance of being in a clean and sanitary condition.

PatentedSept. 24, 1918.

This protective material, shown in the drawin as a piece or pad of sterile gauze 8 of su cient size, is detachably held in position upon the support, comprising wires 4, 5 and 6 as above explained, by means of open hooks 9 attached to wires 4 and 5 at various points by soldering them thereto. These hooks are preferably arranged so as to be inside the frame and point outwardly therefrom, as shown, in order that the gauze may, when hooked to the wires, extend between the wires and the face before extending over the frame; thus, by allowing the gauze rather than the bare wire to contact with the face, securing added comfort to the wearer.

To put on the device it is merely necessary to put on the spectacles in the ordinary manner, as this operation also places the remainder of the shield in protective position in front of the face of the wearer. The protective material being readily and easily removable for sterilization, cleansing or for the substitution of fresh material, it is easy to keep the device in clean and sanitary condition.

While the frame work to support the gauze has been described herein as preferably constructed of bent wire, it is to be understood that other material could be employed. For example, the frame might be of integral construction or of stamped metal. It will also be understood that the size of the device might be altered to cover more or less of the wearers face.

Thus by the above described construction are accomplished, among others, the objects hereinbefore mentioned.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having. described my invention, what I mouth of the wearer.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a'pair of spectacles including glasses of a size to protect the wearers eyes against injection of foreign matter, a wire frame rigidly supported from said spectacles and shaped to bear against the wearers face and surround the nose and mouth, and means on said frame adapted to removably. secure a gauze covering snugly over said frame.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a air of spectacles including a frame and g asses of a size to protect the wearers eyes against injection of foreign matter, a shield adapted to arrest the flight of small flying particles of matter, and a support for said shield mounted on the frame of said spectacles and adapted to hold th'e edges-of said shield snugly against the face of the wearer.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a spectacle frame; a shield supporting frame comprising a substantially U-shaped wire suspended from said spectacle frame, a wire bridging said U-shaped wire horizontally adjacent said spectacle frame, and a vertically disposed bowed wire bridging said two aforementioned wires; gauze material adapted to cover said shield supporting frame, and means to removably hold said gauze material in extended position on said frame.

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

MONTGOMERY LA ROCHE. Witnesses:

J. BOYCE SMITH, Jr.,

H. M. SEAMANS. 

